Dog Walking Expert” with more than 10 dogs in the middle of the city center…he is the “Dog Walking Expert” who is making Omotesando a buzz

There is a “master dog walker” who walks around Omotesando (Shibuya Ward) with a large pack of dogs like a shepherd, and at the same time, there is a mysterious man who happily walks the streets with 14 dogs. Upon hearing such rumors, this magazine’s dog-loving reporter immediately headed for the area, only to find a crowd of people gathered by the side of the road.

He was surrounded by a crowd of people on the street!　Can I touch him?

When he took a peek, he found 14 dogs of various breeds, including a toy poodle, a Shiba dog, and a French bulldog. High school boys, brightly dressed Harajuku girls, and foreign tourists were happily petting the dogs.

And there was the “owner,” smiling and watching the scene, a man who appeared to be in his 30s.

My name is Nobuaki Moribe. I’m just a “walker. I have been running a pet hotel since 2007, and I walk dogs that are left there, or dogs that are taken care of by clients who say they don’t have time.

The reason for starting the “group walk” was Moribe’s passion.

Dogs are animals that like to walk. But in many pet hotels, dogs are walked twice a day for 15 minutes and that’s it. I thought it was too pitiful. I thought, “If each dog gets 15 minutes, why not walk all six of them together for an hour and a half? Now I walk a maximum of 25 dogs and an average of 15 dogs for about four hours every day.

Four hours is a long time for a human being, but is it really that long for the dogs?

Dogs have the ability to walk for long periods of time. Even if they don’t, they get used to it after walking for 15 minutes. If they don’t walk much, their paw pads may peel off and their joints may hurt, but it’s very natural, just like sore muscles in humans. As they walk, they heal and their legs and backs get stronger.

As soon as Mr. Moribe stopped, one of the dogs immediately slumped down to take a break, but he must have been a “newcomer. Will this be the birth of a new “tourist spot” in Omotesando, which is crowded with inbound visitors?

From “FRIDAY” July 7, 2023 issue